Yann Martel's "Life of Pi"

Book Review # 104455

English > Analysis
Literature > Canadian

Analyzes the themes of religion and human nature in Yann Martel's "Life of Pi".

985 words () | 0 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the intensely personal nature of Yann Martel's "Life of Pi" and how the complex subject of religion is presented in a fashion that is non-judgmental, charitable and insightful. The author points out that the book is compelling and powerful because the fictionalized author of the tale talks about his own life and struggles while, at the same time, shrouding so many things in suspenseful mystery. The paper suggests that the story uses the theme of religion to capture the human yearning for something better than everyday life with its frequent occurrences of human bestiality. The paper also stresses that Martel's lucid prose, crisp plot and strong dialogue support his central message about faith and why faith truly matters.

From the Paper:

"The other great struggle that unfolds in the second part of the book, as it turns out, is the struggle to maintain his humanity in the face of butchery. The cook (the Hyena) who kills the young soldier (the terribly wounded Zebra with the mangled leg) is a horrid being who torments the dying soldier in much the same way as the Hyena torments the wounded Zebra by eating it alive. Faced with such evil, the violent death of his mother, and overcome by desperation and hunger, Pi Patel turns on the cook (becoming Richard Parker, the Bengal Tiger), killing him brutally with a knife and then eating the corpulent fellow for his own satiation."